Snooping by US unacceptable, Sushma Swaraj tells Kerry

August 01, 2014 - 12:00:00 am

US Secretary of State, John Kerry, greets External Affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, in New Delhi yesterday.

New Delhi: Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj yesterday said she raised the issue of US agencies allegedly snooping the BJP with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry and conveyed to him the public anger in India about it.

“This act on part of the US is completely unacceptable to us since we are friendly nations,” Sushma Swaraj told the media here in a joint interaction with Kerry.

Kerry however said he can’t discuss the issue with the media as it is a practice in the US that intelligence matters are not discussed publicly.

“We don’t discuss intelligence matter publicly. But we value sharing of information regularly on counter terrorism with India. US President Barack Obama clearly articulated that we fully respect and understand feelings expressed by Indian nationals,” he said.

Reports had emerged in the media recently that US agencies were spying on the Bharatiya Janata Party, which now heads the Indian government.

Meanwhile, Kerry, who met senior Indian leaders in New Delhi, said that he wanted to “see things move in a very positive way” after Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to power in May elections.

“We want a new relationship. We want to see things move in a very positive way,” Kerry told India’s NDTV television.